Best Pickup For All-Maple Guitar? (Update)

  • Thread starter Thread starter fluff191
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I'm assuming the same can be said for a neck thru guitar with a maple center and mahogany wings (with regard to the brightness)?
I've got an LTD Phoenix with that wood combo, with a humbucker-sized P90 that's lacking low-end balls and is quite bright.

Wasn't sure if that was it, or I'm so used to my Les Paul that anything else sounds thin :)
 
I have a Zebra Tone Zone if you want to try one before buying...
 
Tone Zone is great, but it's really high output. If you want something more in the PAF-on-steroids style, try the Duncan Screamin' Demon. It was designed for Lynch's maple bodied ESP sig guitars...a great pickup with a tight low end and aggressive upper mid bite.
A Duncan Custom Custom might also work for you if you want something a bit hotter than the Demon.
 
Another vote for Tone Zone. I'd couple it to an Air Zone in the Neck.

Honestly though, being maple it's probably always going to be a bright sounding guitar no matter which pups you put into it.
 
Tone Zone for sure!!!

I dont get the Aldrich recomendations. Ive tried that pickup in two guitars. It works ok in a mahogany body but had no bottom at all in an Alder bodied guitar. I think they work best in the Les Paul type construction. Mahohgany body/24.75" scale...

I pulled the Aldrich out of my Alder guitar and installed a Tone Zone. That guitar sounds fat and warm now. Plenty of highs too since I'm using a 500k pot and no tone control...
 
tone zone or JB should sound great in this guitar.

the fact that you're saying the jb doesn't sound good and the invader wasn't "invader ish" raises suspicion to me that you may have a wiring issue or a burned out pot.. those rampages sound really round and full with a JB in them. the invader is everything but thin and weak.

just an insight here....i had this issue in two of my les pauls. the stock wiring that connects two of the pots grounds together then to jack/ same wire inner is output from volume to jack, was somehow interfering with the signal chain.....it was that stock braided outer ground shield with the innner signal wire....it was fucked up for some reason. i checked continuity, and it was fine. wasnt shorting out at all. i tried it in another guitar, and it was the same shitty sound. i changed it out, and i was back to normal. the sound i experienced with the wiring problem was exactly what you described...like a humbucker that was only running one bobbin, very thin, lifeless and lacking. this was about 10 years ago. recently, i was swapping pickups, and the same thing happened, and i immediately pulled that wire and replaced it with some belden wire, and all was well.

point is, check your wiring with the JB still in there bro.
 
the am radio sound is almost exactly the problem i had, that you describe.
 
I think some people are making recommendations based on the guitar being bright but they are forgetting that Fluff also mentioned the lack of bass and oooomph. There are a lot of pickups being mentioned here that will most definitely tame the high end but they also have absolutely no bottom end AT ALL.

I've tried a shit load of pickups and if you want a pickup that adds bass OOOOMPH and rolls off the highs, The Tone zone is EXACTLY what you/ he is looking for IMHO. It is higher in o/p but it should not matter since it has what he is looking for in spades IMHO.
 
I have two Stratocasters with Suhr Aldrich pickups.

They sound fantastic. Big and fat. :rock:

My favorite pickup so far....
 
yeti":2ro7r39w said:
tone zone or JB should sound great in this guitar.

the fact that you're saying the jb doesn't sound good and the invader wasn't "invader ish" raises suspicion to me that you may have a wiring issue or a burned out pot.. those rampages sound really round and full with a JB in them. the invader is everything but thin and weak.

just an insight here....i had this issue in two of my les pauls. the stock wiring that connects two of the pots grounds together then to jack/ same wire inner is output from volume to jack, was somehow interfering with the signal chain.....it was that stock braided outer ground shield with the innner signal wire....it was fucked up for some reason. i checked continuity, and it was fine. wasnt shorting out at all. i tried it in another guitar, and it was the same shitty sound. i changed it out, and i was back to normal. the sound i experienced with the wiring problem was exactly what you described...like a humbucker that was only running one bobbin, very thin, lifeless and lacking. this was about 10 years ago. recently, i was swapping pickups, and the same thing happened, and i immediately pulled that wire and replaced it with some belden wire, and all was well.

point is, check your wiring with the JB still in there bro.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I am going to change all the wiring and the pot. Thank you very much!
 
One more vote for the Tone Zone. It is pretty hot - just lower it some if you find it too hot.
 
JB with A2 magnet, or Motor City Garuda, are the best bridge pickups that I have found for all maple guitars.

Those are just my some of my favorites, but not sure that those would get the sound that you want, though.
 
go with the MOTORCITY afwayu..I tried alot of pickups.. all of them
the one that really worked was dimarzio super 3 and the afwayu.
 
Motor City anything (Hot Head supposed to kill!!) Had same questions to Wade at Motor City and he's the best at helping find that sound in your head and what you envision. You will not be disappointed if you go w/ Motor City.
 
Lynch uses the Demon in his all-maple guitars.

I had an all maple Kramer pacer and it sounded dull with a JB. NOt overly bright either.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Super 3?
 
Screamin deamon ... tight yet clear especially for downtuned .. the attack is very quick on the lower strings. It doesnt mud out and also is full sounding with plenty of bark and growl.

Z
 
+1 for Custom Custom, Dimarzio Tone Zone
talked to Steve Blutcher at Dimarzio, Tone Zone does the job

Pascal
 
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